We put on the gloves (too late...) and went to work on our bedroom floor. It's been bugging me for a while--we bought the house over a year ago, and it was sanded but not finished. We optimistically thought it would be done before we'd have to sand it again. Riiighhhhtttt...
Regardless, we were pushed into doing it this week by our little jerk of a new addition (Charlie Dog) who decided to pee on the unfinished floor. I think, mostly, because it was the only place in the house he hadn't yet peed.
Anyway, we rented a sander, and kind of last minute like, went to work!
I'm grateful to have family close by and willing to help--we had people move us out of the room (thankfully, because i wasn't much help with my gimp leg) on Friday. At that point, as a curious sidenote, my sister Heidi wondered what was in the attic looking thing on the ceiling. Being much more adventurous (or more motivated??) than we have been in the year we've been looking up at it each night as we fall asleep, she climbed on up. We joked about hoping she found some treasure. Well, to someone it may have been just that! I'm not exactly sure WHY they are there, but someone held on to some very detailed work notes for years and years of work! We've got stacks of them. I was hoping to find some money mixed in the middle. :) not the case. But we did decide it was worth reading to see if they mention where to find the buried treasure...or something!?! (because i know that there are hoarders around, but...why would you keep that up in a crawlspace!?!)
Anyway, Friday we finished moving things out, and then Saturday, we went off to spend much more than we originally thought we would on supplies and the sander. :) But then we were committed....we might not EAT for another few weeks, but at least our floor will look pretty!
We got all our supplies, and then had to work past a mini-panic attack where we were pretty un-sure feeling and just wishing someone was around that new what they were doing. I called Melanie for that reason SEVERAL times the days leading up to this adventure (she'd done her floors a few years earlier), and several times that morning. Then Julie came and brought her kids to distract my kids (seriously, we didn't see them the whole time we were working!) and we got down to business. It took a long time, and was pretty disgusting to see the difference between the new clean floor and our old dingy one. But we got it all sanded. Did have a little mis-adventure where my dad said he thought it wouldn't matter if we went against the grain. We tried a little spot in the computer room--and, just for the record, it DOES matter. We even tried to go over it before we stained to go with the grain--didn't help. But overall, it went pretty smoothly. Julie, bless her soul, brought over lunch (we don't think about things like food ahead of time, apparently--my kids and our tummies were very grateful!)
After sanding, we did all the work to clean up the sawdust. We had to vacuum with the shop-vac, and use rags to help finish the clean up. After that, we put on the stain! It went on dark, but pretty. We used a roller, and it went pretty quickly.
Over the next few days, we continued to stain, wait, clean, varnish, wait, sand, clean, varnish, wait, sand, and clean. And voila! It looks great.
More workers helped me get our room set back up so that by Monday night we were sleeping in our bed again. YAY!
Anyway, it went well! I am really happy with the way it turned out, and glad that i have family around that is willing to drop everything and come help. Julie, this means you.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The Woe's of a Broken Ankle and other misadventures of Kathy
So...several weeks back, on a weird whim, we decided (in the middle of the night!) to drive a few hours north to the great state of Idaho and visit somewhere that we'd never been as a family. We took off at 11:30 PM on what would be about a 4 hour drive. We knew that we'd stop somewhere and camp, so we weren't as worried about the time at that point.
Chapter 1: "Aren't we spontaneous!"
At around 1:30 am, we hit Pocatello, and decided that we should find a place to stay--either camping or hotel--just somewhere to sleep! The hotels were WAY overpriced, and we found a KOA, but there wasn't any one manning it, and we didn't want to drive around with our headlights on to find a spot to sleep. So, we decided to keep on driving, figuring that we'd find something at our final destination, Craters of the Moon National Monument.
I've been there several times growing up, but Ryan had never been. I was excited to visit all the fun things i remembered growing up.
Chapter 2: "Spontaneity is over rated"
So, at around 2:30 we run into the end of a short road in Arco, Idaho, where there are no more hotels, and the chances of camping look pretty dim. We rung the front desk, where they blindly tried to find forms and got us signed in through very sleepy eyes. I'm sure they spat in all of our pillows. :)
We checked in, and dragged the dogs and the kids inside, and we all immediately fell asleep. And woke up to rain. (Whew! on the deciding we coudln't find a campground--because that late, i would have just camped under the stars!!) It was forecast-ed to keep raining the morning through (delightful!), so we took our time getting out of the room, and found a nice "Mom and Pop" type restaurant to eat. Mom and Pop would probably be better described if it included "and those children who mom and pop (first cousins!) belabored. Because there were some PEOPLE there. My love for people watching excluded, it was decent food, and quite entertaining. We then headed into the much anticipated National Monument.
Chapter 3: "Spontaneity is GREAT!"
At this point, we found the visitors center, and checked out the cool little museum, and got the kids into the junior ranger program. We grabbed our map, and started the little circle driving tour that included some really great short hikes. Perfect for the kids. Not so perfect for the excluded dogs. (It WAS a somewhat cool day, so i was very grateful for that while having to keep them shut in the car while we ran around on our tiny-hikes.)
The hikes were really neat, as i said, and the kids loved them. We walked through all sorts of types of lava, and saw some neat cones. We also got to hike a cindercone. The kids loved "hiking a volcano". We were glad we came! And then....
Chapter 4: "Spontaneity has it's downsides..."
...the highlight of our adventure--the lava caves. Apparently, thousands of years ago, some lava flowed underground, then cooled, Where it apparently disappeared, leaving some really cool caves.
And the fun begins!! First, we spontaneously left home withOUT flashlights. Thinking we were going to set up camp in the dark even, we left home with no flashlights. Going to the caves, there were notices "Bring at least 2 forms of light!". This is kind of irrelevant to my problems, but...if you're going, be prepared! i actually found a flashlight in the car--one of those emergency crank flashlights that DO give out about the light of a gloworm, but not exactly enough light to hike with.
As we hiked along, enjoying the scenery, i started to think, "My, this has been quite a long hike--i think we should almost be there". Holding my sweet daughters hand, with my other hand holding the map, i started studying the map to see where we were...and fell off the side of the 4-inch-lip to the wheelchair accessible trail. Falling, i drug my poor Maddie's face onto the pavement, and heard from my ankle a "pop" or a "crack". My first thought was that i had re-torn a tendon that I'd ripped about 7 years earlier hiking in the Subway portion of Zions National Park. I remember hearing a cracking sound there. Then, it hurt so damned bad, i said outloud-"I think it's broken". Then, i asked my daughter how she was (she was upset, i am sure it hurt, but she was scared because i was freaking out about myself). A ranger happened to be hiking by and saw me fall, and helped me up. We put some pressure on it, and she asked--"we can get a 4 wheeler back here, do you need me to call someone?" I stupidly, and proudly, said "No. I'll be ok". I insisted that the kids and Ryan finished the hike. This was the highlight of our trip. I was thinking that i could just sit there on the side of the trail for a while, and it would start to feel better. The ranger offered to help me walk back, so i sent the kids and Ryan off to finish the hike, and started the LOOONG hike out. (Stupid, stupid pride!)
Already too long story short, I made it back to the car. It took a long time, where in the ranger fell, as well. I hobbled the best i could, then sat in the car bawling with ice on it until the others finished their hike. Because of the flashlight shortage, they weren't able to see all the caves, just one where the top have "skylights".
We were in the middle of no-where Idaho, so we decided to wait til we got back into Logan to go to the doctor (no emergency room for us!), and when we got back, instacare was closed, so we decided to wait til the next day to get it checked out. It was broken. I've been in a walking cast (just got off the crutches! thank goodness) and will be for a while yet.
Chapter 5: "Spontaneity has it's upsides..."
I did get some heavy duty pain killers.
Chapter 6: "Downsides have their spontaneity..."
During this whole recovery thing, i've had to ask for help several times, which is SO not fun. My son and husband especially have been lifesavers. At work, a woman i tend to complain about at times has been my legs, and i've learned to really appreciate her, as well! And i've had to learn all sorts of ways to get around doing things--had to invent ways into and out of bathtubs, into and out of pants...it's all caused some real creativity!
And a whole lot less hiking this summer....
Chapter 1: "Aren't we spontaneous!"
At around 1:30 am, we hit Pocatello, and decided that we should find a place to stay--either camping or hotel--just somewhere to sleep! The hotels were WAY overpriced, and we found a KOA, but there wasn't any one manning it, and we didn't want to drive around with our headlights on to find a spot to sleep. So, we decided to keep on driving, figuring that we'd find something at our final destination, Craters of the Moon National Monument.
I've been there several times growing up, but Ryan had never been. I was excited to visit all the fun things i remembered growing up.
Chapter 2: "Spontaneity is over rated"
So, at around 2:30 we run into the end of a short road in Arco, Idaho, where there are no more hotels, and the chances of camping look pretty dim. We rung the front desk, where they blindly tried to find forms and got us signed in through very sleepy eyes. I'm sure they spat in all of our pillows. :)
We checked in, and dragged the dogs and the kids inside, and we all immediately fell asleep. And woke up to rain. (Whew! on the deciding we coudln't find a campground--because that late, i would have just camped under the stars!!) It was forecast-ed to keep raining the morning through (delightful!), so we took our time getting out of the room, and found a nice "Mom and Pop" type restaurant to eat. Mom and Pop would probably be better described if it included "and those children who mom and pop (first cousins!) belabored. Because there were some PEOPLE there. My love for people watching excluded, it was decent food, and quite entertaining. We then headed into the much anticipated National Monument.
Chapter 3: "Spontaneity is GREAT!"
At this point, we found the visitors center, and checked out the cool little museum, and got the kids into the junior ranger program. We grabbed our map, and started the little circle driving tour that included some really great short hikes. Perfect for the kids. Not so perfect for the excluded dogs. (It WAS a somewhat cool day, so i was very grateful for that while having to keep them shut in the car while we ran around on our tiny-hikes.)
The hikes were really neat, as i said, and the kids loved them. We walked through all sorts of types of lava, and saw some neat cones. We also got to hike a cindercone. The kids loved "hiking a volcano". We were glad we came! And then....
Chapter 4: "Spontaneity has it's downsides..."
...the highlight of our adventure--the lava caves. Apparently, thousands of years ago, some lava flowed underground, then cooled, Where it apparently disappeared, leaving some really cool caves.
And the fun begins!! First, we spontaneously left home withOUT flashlights. Thinking we were going to set up camp in the dark even, we left home with no flashlights. Going to the caves, there were notices "Bring at least 2 forms of light!". This is kind of irrelevant to my problems, but...if you're going, be prepared! i actually found a flashlight in the car--one of those emergency crank flashlights that DO give out about the light of a gloworm, but not exactly enough light to hike with.
As we hiked along, enjoying the scenery, i started to think, "My, this has been quite a long hike--i think we should almost be there". Holding my sweet daughters hand, with my other hand holding the map, i started studying the map to see where we were...and fell off the side of the 4-inch-lip to the wheelchair accessible trail. Falling, i drug my poor Maddie's face onto the pavement, and heard from my ankle a "pop" or a "crack". My first thought was that i had re-torn a tendon that I'd ripped about 7 years earlier hiking in the Subway portion of Zions National Park. I remember hearing a cracking sound there. Then, it hurt so damned bad, i said outloud-"I think it's broken". Then, i asked my daughter how she was (she was upset, i am sure it hurt, but she was scared because i was freaking out about myself). A ranger happened to be hiking by and saw me fall, and helped me up. We put some pressure on it, and she asked--"we can get a 4 wheeler back here, do you need me to call someone?" I stupidly, and proudly, said "No. I'll be ok". I insisted that the kids and Ryan finished the hike. This was the highlight of our trip. I was thinking that i could just sit there on the side of the trail for a while, and it would start to feel better. The ranger offered to help me walk back, so i sent the kids and Ryan off to finish the hike, and started the LOOONG hike out. (Stupid, stupid pride!)
Already too long story short, I made it back to the car. It took a long time, where in the ranger fell, as well. I hobbled the best i could, then sat in the car bawling with ice on it until the others finished their hike. Because of the flashlight shortage, they weren't able to see all the caves, just one where the top have "skylights".
We were in the middle of no-where Idaho, so we decided to wait til we got back into Logan to go to the doctor (no emergency room for us!), and when we got back, instacare was closed, so we decided to wait til the next day to get it checked out. It was broken. I've been in a walking cast (just got off the crutches! thank goodness) and will be for a while yet.
Chapter 5: "Spontaneity has it's upsides..."
I did get some heavy duty pain killers.
Chapter 6: "Downsides have their spontaneity..."
During this whole recovery thing, i've had to ask for help several times, which is SO not fun. My son and husband especially have been lifesavers. At work, a woman i tend to complain about at times has been my legs, and i've learned to really appreciate her, as well! And i've had to learn all sorts of ways to get around doing things--had to invent ways into and out of bathtubs, into and out of pants...it's all caused some real creativity!
And a whole lot less hiking this summer....
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Been a year!
Well, it's now been a year since we've been in our house. Time flies--not that it heals all wounds. :-)
It took us forever to get into our house. The loan process was a bear--we were using an out of town co-signer; our mortgage broker was non-helpful; and we had trouble finding an older home that would pass the inspections. When we finally found our home, we put an offer in February, and didn't close until MAY. LOOOONNNNGGG time.
Regardless, it was totally worth the wait.
Here are somethings that i have loved about our house:
I love the yard. We have a 1/2 acre property with fruit trees, grapes, a garden, and a nice big flat open area we call the football field. We are conveniently located in the center of the yard, so that neither of our neighbors next to us or behind us are very close. We live on a nice, quiet street that is right in between to the elementary school (ie. park!) and the lake. So we have some fun places to walk to. We have an apricot tree, 3 apple trees, 2 cherry trees, grapes...plus, lilacs, roses, and hollyhock. We have big, giant, towering pine trees and the biggest juniper you've ever seen. We have some cool climbing vines which i just love the look of on our cottage style home.
We have a great big front room with lots of windows-the biggest of which are kind of bay style. It has a pretty wood floor and an awesome wood stove. It's got a corner perfect for holding a christmas tree.
The kitchen is a color I wouldnt' have chosen on my own, but it turns out i like it and it's bright and open. Plenty of room. Our stove is ancient, but has two ovens--which we don't use often, but is still nice to have!! It also has a pancake/bacon griddle on the stove top....how could i not mention a built in place for bacon!
We have this awesome big laundry/mud room. It's huge, and a great place to put...everything. :o) Ryry always makes fun of me for all my terms for this room depending on what i'm talking about...it's either the pantry, laundry room, mud room, or storage room. I don't even realize i'm saying it.
We have a big cold storage downstairs in the basement, and a nice place to stack wood piles. I didn't think i'd want wood in the house, but it turns out that it's warmer than trudging through snow to get it. :)
We have a cool stairway that leads up to a big area that i've made into a reading corner. It's big enough for a recliner and a book case, and it's where i read to the kids at night, and it's a place i escape to read, as well.
The kids have their own rooms that are totally them. Boy's has a snake, a map, lots of room for books, is covered with rocks, and is his color--orange. (yeah, we painted it that way and i'm fine with that now!) Girl's is pink and girly and pretty with a canopy and sheer curtain entrance and dollhouse.
We have an extra room that is also multipurpose...it's a guest room, a toy storage, andrew's homework desk, and now contains the skeeball machine andrew got for his birthday. There is a big closet up there that has random toys in it, but could be organized into something great. Heck, it's even big enough to be like a craft room or something useful. :)
We only have one bathroom (i'm ok with that! only one toilet to clean!!) but it ha a big fat clawfoot tub. I LOVE this tub. One of the things we looked at when we were home shopping was the tubs. This tub=mommy time. Mommy time=good.
Kind of long and kind of boring. But at my one year anniversary, i'm just feeling grateful. :)
It took us forever to get into our house. The loan process was a bear--we were using an out of town co-signer; our mortgage broker was non-helpful; and we had trouble finding an older home that would pass the inspections. When we finally found our home, we put an offer in February, and didn't close until MAY. LOOOONNNNGGG time.
Regardless, it was totally worth the wait.
Here are somethings that i have loved about our house:
I love the yard. We have a 1/2 acre property with fruit trees, grapes, a garden, and a nice big flat open area we call the football field. We are conveniently located in the center of the yard, so that neither of our neighbors next to us or behind us are very close. We live on a nice, quiet street that is right in between to the elementary school (ie. park!) and the lake. So we have some fun places to walk to. We have an apricot tree, 3 apple trees, 2 cherry trees, grapes...plus, lilacs, roses, and hollyhock. We have big, giant, towering pine trees and the biggest juniper you've ever seen. We have some cool climbing vines which i just love the look of on our cottage style home.
We have a great big front room with lots of windows-the biggest of which are kind of bay style. It has a pretty wood floor and an awesome wood stove. It's got a corner perfect for holding a christmas tree.
The kitchen is a color I wouldnt' have chosen on my own, but it turns out i like it and it's bright and open. Plenty of room. Our stove is ancient, but has two ovens--which we don't use often, but is still nice to have!! It also has a pancake/bacon griddle on the stove top....how could i not mention a built in place for bacon!
We have this awesome big laundry/mud room. It's huge, and a great place to put...everything. :o) Ryry always makes fun of me for all my terms for this room depending on what i'm talking about...it's either the pantry, laundry room, mud room, or storage room. I don't even realize i'm saying it.
We have a big cold storage downstairs in the basement, and a nice place to stack wood piles. I didn't think i'd want wood in the house, but it turns out that it's warmer than trudging through snow to get it. :)
We have a cool stairway that leads up to a big area that i've made into a reading corner. It's big enough for a recliner and a book case, and it's where i read to the kids at night, and it's a place i escape to read, as well.
The kids have their own rooms that are totally them. Boy's has a snake, a map, lots of room for books, is covered with rocks, and is his color--orange. (yeah, we painted it that way and i'm fine with that now!) Girl's is pink and girly and pretty with a canopy and sheer curtain entrance and dollhouse.
We have an extra room that is also multipurpose...it's a guest room, a toy storage, andrew's homework desk, and now contains the skeeball machine andrew got for his birthday. There is a big closet up there that has random toys in it, but could be organized into something great. Heck, it's even big enough to be like a craft room or something useful. :)
We only have one bathroom (i'm ok with that! only one toilet to clean!!) but it ha a big fat clawfoot tub. I LOVE this tub. One of the things we looked at when we were home shopping was the tubs. This tub=mommy time. Mommy time=good.
Kind of long and kind of boring. But at my one year anniversary, i'm just feeling grateful. :)
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Mothers Day present
First of all, i need to say that I love my son very much, and i realize that he probably did not realize that he broke my heart.
But....for mothers day, his teacher had him make up a little book for me. So cute! It was an "interview" with him, asking him different questions--such as: "What does your mom do to make you laugh..." to which he answered "Tickle me". Which is great.
However, as i read more into the book, i came to realize that i don t get to see my kids enough. Want proof?
Under things my mom always says to me. "Go to bed".
If my mom was a superstar, it would be for: "Working."
and, most heartbreaking of all....things my mom and i do together: "Nothing".
He did not leave that page blank, he actually wrote: "Nothing".
Now, i realize that work takes a lot of out of me--time wise (obviously), and stress wise. But for him to say that we do nothing together just made me cry.
I know he didn't mean that, but i have to wonder where my priorities are. I want to be a better mom for my boy. I just don't know that i can do anything about it. I want to be home for him, but i have to work. I don't know, maybe i can try to get one afternoon a week off early or something. I just cant handle having to see that page in my head every day when i sit down at my computer.
I DO THINGS! I play games, we read books, i buy things on a whim for them. We randomly went to a movie on a school nite. We watch survivor together. We go on hikes, and (weather barring) go camping as often as we can. I know that we DO THINGS TOGETHER. I just am obviously somehow not giving him the impression that he is more important to me than work is.
Anyway, that s all. I am frustrated and sad, and need to make some changes. But at least i realize now, not 20 years from now looking back.
But....for mothers day, his teacher had him make up a little book for me. So cute! It was an "interview" with him, asking him different questions--such as: "What does your mom do to make you laugh..." to which he answered "Tickle me". Which is great.
However, as i read more into the book, i came to realize that i don t get to see my kids enough. Want proof?
Under things my mom always says to me. "Go to bed".
If my mom was a superstar, it would be for: "Working."
and, most heartbreaking of all....things my mom and i do together: "Nothing".
He did not leave that page blank, he actually wrote: "Nothing".
Now, i realize that work takes a lot of out of me--time wise (obviously), and stress wise. But for him to say that we do nothing together just made me cry.
I know he didn't mean that, but i have to wonder where my priorities are. I want to be a better mom for my boy. I just don't know that i can do anything about it. I want to be home for him, but i have to work. I don't know, maybe i can try to get one afternoon a week off early or something. I just cant handle having to see that page in my head every day when i sit down at my computer.
I DO THINGS! I play games, we read books, i buy things on a whim for them. We randomly went to a movie on a school nite. We watch survivor together. We go on hikes, and (weather barring) go camping as often as we can. I know that we DO THINGS TOGETHER. I just am obviously somehow not giving him the impression that he is more important to me than work is.
Anyway, that s all. I am frustrated and sad, and need to make some changes. But at least i realize now, not 20 years from now looking back.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
So cute it hurts!
I know that i already posted something today, but...
My daughter has taken to phoning me at work. She has my direct line, and I just love to see the number pop up because i know that it's probably her, as Ryan usually IM's me rather than call.
She has the sweetest voice, and she literally just calls to say "I love you".
I can't even begin to say how much joy she and Andrew bring me. I have never felt this happy, and am so blessed to have such sweet children.
Sigh....back to work. :(
My daughter has taken to phoning me at work. She has my direct line, and I just love to see the number pop up because i know that it's probably her, as Ryan usually IM's me rather than call.
She has the sweetest voice, and she literally just calls to say "I love you".
I can't even begin to say how much joy she and Andrew bring me. I have never felt this happy, and am so blessed to have such sweet children.
Sigh....back to work. :(
Spring is here at last...
...oh, wait. It's not.
After being able to spend a few weeks in relative warmth, i'm saddened to say that I woke up to snow yesterday. I don't mind snow...in January. But it's the LAST week of APRIL and i'm all snowed out. Our garden is all plowed, pooped, and ready to go---once the weather starts to kick in!
The other night, there was a really scary storm. It was crazy windy, and the power went out a few times for just a few seconds. My son (who, NOTE, should have been asleep!) came running down in a panic that the lights were flashing. It was fun to cuddle him for a few minutes, because he's old enough i don't often get to do that anymore.
Our friends had a big ol' tree fall into their power lines. We had a few random big branches fall down, but other than that we were ok.
I'm trying to take the kids (and dog!) out walking more, but it's not happening because it's been pretty cold by the time i get home from work/picking up the kids/running errands. I am trying to figure out when exactly i did all the yard work last year that i enjoyed doing. I guess it was just that it's going to get darker later on.
So, really, i'm trying to think of something interesting to say. And there's not much there. :) Guess i'll get back to work.
Oh, and i am sick of the snow. :*(
After being able to spend a few weeks in relative warmth, i'm saddened to say that I woke up to snow yesterday. I don't mind snow...in January. But it's the LAST week of APRIL and i'm all snowed out. Our garden is all plowed, pooped, and ready to go---once the weather starts to kick in!
The other night, there was a really scary storm. It was crazy windy, and the power went out a few times for just a few seconds. My son (who, NOTE, should have been asleep!) came running down in a panic that the lights were flashing. It was fun to cuddle him for a few minutes, because he's old enough i don't often get to do that anymore.
Our friends had a big ol' tree fall into their power lines. We had a few random big branches fall down, but other than that we were ok.
I'm trying to take the kids (and dog!) out walking more, but it's not happening because it's been pretty cold by the time i get home from work/picking up the kids/running errands. I am trying to figure out when exactly i did all the yard work last year that i enjoyed doing. I guess it was just that it's going to get darker later on.
So, really, i'm trying to think of something interesting to say. And there's not much there. :) Guess i'll get back to work.
Oh, and i am sick of the snow. :*(
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Spring Break
So...we just had a WONDERFUL spring break. I mean wonderful. Mostly, I'd imagine, because i was SOOO in need of a break from work. But, really, it was a great time.
We didn't do anything TOO outlandish--we visited each other's inlaws. But it was still a great time, and i'm so happy we did it.
Earlier this year, Ryan's Opa died. Ryan used to spend summers with Oma and Opa, and while they didn't necessarily have the greatest-ever relationship, i feel like they were pretty close and it was a little rough on him to go through that. SOOOOO....we decided that we needed to visit his Oma, who has been having a rough time of it after being married for nearly 70 years. She lives in Page, Arizona, and after a LOOOONG drive, it was great to see her. We stopped a few times on the way down, but really made pretty good time. The kids did OK in the car--considering--and we listened to a whole-lot of Aussie Humor in the shape of Hamish and Andy. That made the time just fly by for me.
We ordered some pizza and settled in when we got there, and had some good talks with Ryan's cousins and his Oma.
The next day, we drove over to see Opa's grave, and visit Ryan's dad's grave. A little emotional, but good. Then, we took the kids through the Museum, and they thought it was, and i quote--"the coolest museum EVER". Not sure what they just loved about it, but....hey! we aim to please, even if we don't know what the target is! Ü
We then went back and made some sandwhiches and drove over 60 miles to visit something that's only 17 miles away "as the crow flies". Kind of funny. But a tremendously beautiful drive--red rock cliffs, views of the colorado river....gorgeous. We went to the Vermillion Cliffs visitor center at the top of Lee's Fairy. It was SOO pretty. There, we ate lunch, then walked out to the bridge. At this point, andrew decided he didn't want to go. I literally had to chase him, then CARRY him out onto the bridge. He was worried because he thought that cars may have weaked the bridge. :) It IS high, but still.... anyway, as soon as i set him down, the little rascal ran back to "safe ground". I took a picture of Maddie and Ryan up there, and a few minutes later, Andrew faced his fears and walked out to join us. I was proud of him--generally he's too stubborn once he's set his mind.
After that, we drove down to the river, where Lee's Ferry Crossing was "back in the day". Not sure what the whole story is there, but i know it was the only place for miles that people could cross prior to the bridges. It was BEAUTIFUL. We'd left Cache Valley in snow, and this was a warm enough day that we were able to go wading in the (cold) river. Ahhhh....so nice to feel the sun on you!! Maddie and Andrew loved the water. We didn't stay long, because Oma had to stay in the car because it wasn't the easiest ground to walk, but it was still nice. We took some fun pictures and played around for a minute.That night, we ate at a Mexican Restaurant, where BOTH of my kids ordered american style food. We giggled that they probably had to run to Wendy's to pick up the chicken nuggets and hamburger and fries.
The next day, we took Oma down to the cemetary one more time, to be sure that she could find the grave. (She hadn't been able to find it previously! Sad, huh!) and then took off to Melanie's house in Cedar City. Another beautiful drive. We stopped a few times--at a rock shop for Andrew, and then we stopped at the Moqui caves for a few minutes to see the museum there. It was kind of fun. Different, anyway! :) At Mel's house, we let the kids and dog stretch their legs, and then i helped Mel make egg rolls for the first time. I thought they turned out good! Hope she did too! The next day, we were busy! We went out and saw some really amazing petroglyphs and some dino foot prints that were inverted, so you could really see them well. It was fun. Then, Emily and Shan came to visit so we talked to them for a while. I havent' seen Emily for ages. It was nice.THEN....we took off up the road to Beaver, and played at Uncle Marks house--we rode horses--the kids even rode sheep!--and pet the new baby lambs. Andrew rode a horse all alone--with no help at all, and he did SO great. I was proud of him. He was SO THRILLED, to. Ryan and I decided that we'd take the horses back from the feilds, so everyone else took off in motor vehicles, and we got on the horses. As the trucks passed, i started to have a sinking feeling--it's been YEARS since i've been on a horse--what would happen if it shot off all the sudden! Felt a little out of my league--but it turned out fine. They tried to take off a few times, but "listened" to us when we slowed them down. It was great fun.
We went back and cooked some amazing grub, and chatted for a while--then mel found out i'd never seen Pride and Prejudice, so we sat down and watched the Kiera Knightly version. I liked it--and realized that i HAD afterall read the book. Still, it was fun to have some sister time.
We drove home the next day, the back way so we could see more land--saw the crazy huge milford wind energy fields, ghost town, and got a little bit of four-wheeling done for the Kia. (she wanted to.)
Anyway, kind of boring all typed out, but it was a wonderful time, and great to spend the time with my hubby and kids who i dn't get to see as much as i'd like.All in all, two thumbs up!! :)
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
I'm Cold.
I don't have much to say at all. I just am so sick of winter, and tired of being cold.
This Saturday, my dad showed up on my porch at the un-godly hour of 8:oo AM (**I usually am to work by then, but on Saturday?? Come on!!!) He came to help us prune. I have wanted to prune. It's been something that although i know nothing about, i've been looking forward to learning. But not that early. (thanks, dad! i really DO appreciate it!) Regardless of the time, if we've got help i'm going to take it, so i dragged my husband out of bed and we went out and worked on the yard. We ONLY got to the grapes and a little of the cherries and had filled up the back of the truck. Yikes. We have a lot of work to do. :( We still have 3 apple trees, a plum tree, an apricot tree, another cherry tree, and a lot more work on the cherry tree we started on.
While Ryan and my Pa pruned away at those grapes, I started my early-spring-grass-wakeup-rake. I can't believe the piles of greenwaste we have!! And i haven't even raked more than a 100 sq. foot area. But all was done with a smile on my face for finally being outside...until the snow started. Once again, what promised to be a beautiful day becomes a winter "wonderland" urg. A quiet layer of snow now covers all my weird piles of deadness in the middle of my yard that i hadn't had time to clean up before the snow came down hard enough i was forced inside.
Then, we went to our pruning class we'd signed up for (at the time, it was supposed to be in the 50's over the weekend. Nope. It waited until MONDAY, when i didnt' step outside all day, to be 50). Standing there in the snow, feet frozen, body frozen, getting colder all the time, i realized i REALLY needed to thank my dad, because he totally did this for us. He has been pruning his trees for years!! He didn't need to come stand in the snow freezing to death!! He completely did this for us. (Once again, thanks, Dad!!)
Anyway, I know it was a nice day yesterday, but i go to work early in the morning, and come home after it's cold again. I wanted to at least go for a walk mid-day, but it doesn't happen very often. And i'm SICK OF THE COLD.
Stupid groundhog.
This Saturday, my dad showed up on my porch at the un-godly hour of 8:oo AM (**I usually am to work by then, but on Saturday?? Come on!!!) He came to help us prune. I have wanted to prune. It's been something that although i know nothing about, i've been looking forward to learning. But not that early. (thanks, dad! i really DO appreciate it!) Regardless of the time, if we've got help i'm going to take it, so i dragged my husband out of bed and we went out and worked on the yard. We ONLY got to the grapes and a little of the cherries and had filled up the back of the truck. Yikes. We have a lot of work to do. :( We still have 3 apple trees, a plum tree, an apricot tree, another cherry tree, and a lot more work on the cherry tree we started on.
While Ryan and my Pa pruned away at those grapes, I started my early-spring-grass-wakeup-rake. I can't believe the piles of greenwaste we have!! And i haven't even raked more than a 100 sq. foot area. But all was done with a smile on my face for finally being outside...until the snow started. Once again, what promised to be a beautiful day becomes a winter "wonderland" urg. A quiet layer of snow now covers all my weird piles of deadness in the middle of my yard that i hadn't had time to clean up before the snow came down hard enough i was forced inside.
Then, we went to our pruning class we'd signed up for (at the time, it was supposed to be in the 50's over the weekend. Nope. It waited until MONDAY, when i didnt' step outside all day, to be 50). Standing there in the snow, feet frozen, body frozen, getting colder all the time, i realized i REALLY needed to thank my dad, because he totally did this for us. He has been pruning his trees for years!! He didn't need to come stand in the snow freezing to death!! He completely did this for us. (Once again, thanks, Dad!!)
Anyway, I know it was a nice day yesterday, but i go to work early in the morning, and come home after it's cold again. I wanted to at least go for a walk mid-day, but it doesn't happen very often. And i'm SICK OF THE COLD.
Stupid groundhog.
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